Dreamcatcher
by ColumnX
Summary: Takes place immediately after Pokémon XY, episode 63. James/Kojiro is feeling conflicted, not having closure about their most recent event in which Jessie/Musashi almost left the Rocket gang for Dr. White. Kojiro/James becomes plagued by nightmares. Musashi/Jessie tries to help, only to discover that she may be the cause of them. #Rocketshipping, #Kojimusa
1. Chapter 1

**JUST A QUICK NOTE: I just wanted to leave a note here that I use the Japanese names of the characters since I watch the anime in Japanese language with English subs only. Also, I use Ryperior's Japanese name: Dosidon in one of the next chapters (so there's no confusion). Oh, and one more thing: Whenever you see these symbols preceding or following text: ~~~~ That means it's the contents of Kojiro's dream/nightmare**

The beautiful night continued on eerily silent as the trio sailed through the evening sky. Kojiro and Nyasu gave Musashi what they considered a "safe" distance. However, with the limited amount of space their Team Rocket air balloon provided, it wasn't much. Musashi continued to gaze out into the deep blue of the night sky. The sun had just set not too long ago and the stars sparkled in a dazzling grandeur around them. Deep in thought, her eyes dull as if in a daze, she neither spoke a word or even acknowledged her two teammates behind her.

Kojiro exchanged a concerned look with Nyasu, before attempting to make his way to his female teammate and long time friend. Nyasu caught him by his leg before he took another step further. Kojiro glanced down at the cat Pokemon in surprise only to be be met with a stern stare. Nyasu merely shook his head in warning before letting him go. Kojiro sadly nodded in agreement and returned back to leaning against of the walls to give Musashi her space.

He couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed and disappointed. He wanted to hear Musashi out. They had almost just experienced another parting of the ways due to her infatuation with Dr. White. Kojiro honestly thought that Musashi was going to leave the Rocket gang. _Why did she change her mind?_ Kojiro thought to himself as he continued to look at his partner. A million thoughts were racing through his head when he suddenly felt very weak. He decided it was best to sit down the remainder of their flight. As he slowly eased his way down, he felt his legs give out in exhaustion as he hit the floor of their balloon in a thud. He let out a yelp of pain and surprise as he did so.

Musashi snapped out of her reverie and turned around. She had forgotten that she was in the air balloon with her friends. She shook her head of her confusion and wondered what happened with Kojiro, who was now sitting on the floor wincing in pain while Nyasu was looking him over quickly, his tail wagging nervously.

She knelt down in front of Kojiro, her deep sapphires full of concern held Kojiro's eyes, enchanting him in a way that he had almost forgotten how to speak. "Are you OK?" she asked him.

"Ah" he replied, remembering why she was speaking to him in the first place. "Just a little sore from today's events. I'll be OK"

Musashi looked over at Nyasu who had finished checking Kojiro over. He turned to look at Musashi, knowing she wanted his opinion.

"He looks OK. Maybe he just needs to rest," Nyasu said.

Kojiro grinned at Musashi reassuringly, feeling uncomfortable with being stared at by both his friends. She stood up and walked over to the other side of the air balloon as Kojiro let out a sigh of relief.

"Nyasu," she called, who bounded over to Musashi, leaning over the edge of the air balloon as she was. "How far is the next town?" she asked. "We need to get a headstart of those brat kids,"

Nyasu checked his GPS and scrolled with his paw. "Another few hours. We should make it there in plenty of time before sunrise."

Kojiro watched them warily. _I feel bad having to chase after those brat kids so quickly_ he thought. _They had just helped me defeat the Pokemon Hunter...but duty calls, I guess_. He started to drift off to sleep.

~~~~~~~Kojiro watched sadly as Musashi gathered her belongings from the air balloon. He tried to gather his thoughts the best he could and think of something to say. Anything to stop her from leaving. But deep down, watching her become giddy while she prepared for this next step in her life made him doubtful he could change her mind.

"Well," she said, placing her hands on her hips. "I think that's everything!"

She began to tie her things together in a few bags. She bent down to pat Nyasu on the head. "Take care, Nyasu!" she smiled affectionately at him. "Please come visit me anytime!" Nyasu smiled and gave her a hug. Kojiro frowned. _How could he be so happy for her leaving?!_ He thought. _I'm devastated!_

"Kojiro," he heard Musashi call him. He looked up to see her standing in front of him. _Wait_ he thought. _It's too soon! I don't know what to say to her!_

"Musashi, I…" he fumbled with his words while he strained his mind for the words to make her stay with them. He looked down to focus and organize his thoughts when suddenly he was interrupted by another figure who had appeared on the horizon.

Dr. White had come for Musashi. She turned around excitedly and then back to Kojiro. "Kojiro, just a moment!" she said before turning to run and greet Dr. White.

"Mu-Musashi" he mumbled reaching in vain towards her direction.~~~~~~~

"Musashi!"

Kojiro's eyes opened up. Blurry blue eyes were peering into his. "Ugh," he muttered, rubbing his eyes to clear them. When he opened them again, Musashi was again kneeling before him, her face inches from his. "Gah!" he cried out, backing further into the wall he was sitting against. "What?! What's wrong?" he cried out to her, wondering why she was so close.

"You were mumbling," Nyasu replied, who was also watching him, only from afar. He was busy settling the air balloon down from its landing. He had a small smirk on his face.

"What was I mumbling?" Kojiro asked cautiously.

"My name," Musashi replied, continuing to look at him curiously. She noticed his forehead had sweat. And now he was starting to turn a red hue. She took off one her gloves and touched her hand to Kojiro's forehead, causing him to blush a deeper scarlet. "You're not running a fever are you?"

"N-no!" Kojiro sputtered, remembering his dream and why he had mumbled Musashi's name. "I just...had a bad dream that's all." Musashi kept her hand on her partner's head until she was sure he wasn't running a fever after all. "Where are we?" Kojiro asked, wanting desperately to divert the attention off of him.

"In the woods, just outside of our next city destination," Musashi answered, standing up. She began to walk over to the nearest wall of the balloon basket and hop up and over. She watched as Nyasu began to set up their campsite for the night.

"The moon is nice and bright tonight," Nyasu stated. "So we have a good light. Plus, it's nice and warm so we won't be needing a fire either!"

Musashi smirked. _One less chore to worry about_ she thought, not liking the task of collecting firewood. She turned towards Kojiro, who had gotten up and was making his way to disembark from the balloon. She approached him, still concerned for his weak state. Musashi giggled to herself silently as she watched her gangly partner wobble his way over to one edge of the balloon basket. _He really is such a goof_ she thought in amusement. _Still, I have to admit it's kind of cute_ she thought, feeling the color rise to her cheeks.

As Kojiro attempted to lift one left over the balloon wall, he wavered like a drunk and Musashi went to help him. She reached up to grab his shoulders and steady him. "You're so annoying," she said, disguising her concern in a tone of irritancy. "You definitely need more re-" she was cut off by Kojiro falling forward, his heavy frame now leaning on Musashi for support.

Musashi went rigid as Kojiro's hair swept forward and brushed along her cheek. Her hands were still on his shoulders, but her arms were pushed against her chest from his weight. Kojiro's face was soon buried in Musashi's neck. He slipped his arms back so that both his hands gripped Musashi's hips. She stiffened in alarm, blushing deeply. "O-oy," she stammered. "What do you think-"

"Sorry, Musashi." he breathed against her neck, causing Musashi's hairs on the back if it to stand up. He used his grip on her hips to push himself backwards and off of his flustered partner. Once off of her, he flashed a dazzling smile at Musashi, his emerald eyes gleaming in the dark. "Maybe by the morning, I'll be much better."

Musashi, still frazzled by the recent intrusion of personal space by her childlike, _but charming_ partner, she crossed her arms and looked away from his piercing stare. "J-Just be more careful," she muttered, cheeks pink, before storming off.

Kojiro watched her leave, blinking in confusion by her frustrated, yet _mild_ reaction to their physically intimate moment. He wondered why she didn't shove him off and yell at him. He smiled, realizing that he was pleased with himself, and went to go set up his sleeping bag for the night.


	2. Chapter 2

~~~~~~~Kojiro reached out to Musashi, who was now prancing with glee up to Dr. White. "White-San!" she cried out in excitement. "You're here!" She embraced him happily.

"I'm almost ready," she said to him, pulling away. "I just need to gather my things and say my Goodbyes."

She ran back up to Kojiro. "Sorry," she said, while she straightened out her new clothes, the ones that Dr. White had given her. Although it wasn't the usual style of clothes Musashi used, Kojiro was forced to admit how adorable she looked in her jean shorts, oversized button up shirt and the salmon colored outer article wrapped around her. Even her hair looked cute pulled up in that bun. Musashi's old Rocket Gang uniform was folded and tucked away in one of her bags.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kojiro finally asked her.

"Of course I do," Musashi answered. "All this running around, stealing Pokemon and being the 'bad' guy; I'm done with it."

"But you don't...have to leave." Kojiro said. "We can stop being villains," he struggled with the last words. "...together."

"Kojiro," Musashi tsked. "That's very nice of you to want to give up the Rocket gang for me to be happy. But I found love!" Kojiro's face fell.  
"But I…"

"Look, I need to get going," Musashi urged. "I told Nyasu that you guys can visit me anytime!" She gave Kojiro a quick hug. Kojiro reached out his arms to embrace her back. He was determined that once he held her, he was not going to let her go until he convinced her to stay. But before he even had the chance, Musashi pulled away. "It's ok, Kojiro," she reassured. " will take care of me. He loves me very much." She stooped down to gather her belongings, turned around, and ran towards Dr. White without even a glance back. Dr. White helped her with her bags. And together, they linked arms, and walked out of sight.

"But I love you, too," he whispered. "Mu-Musa-" He looked down and clenched his fists, squinting his eyes shut to prevent the tears that were beginning to form. "MUSASHI!"~~~~~~~

"MUSASHI!" Kojiro shouted, opening his eyes to see Nyasu jumping out of his sleeping bag like a typical frightened feline.

"NYAA!" he cried out in terror, claws out. He looked around frantically and then at Kojiro. "What? What's wrong?! What about Musashi?!" He ran over to Kojiro and put his paws on his knees, shaking him to speak.

"Musashi," Kojiro whimpered, putting out a hand to hold his head. "She's gone…" He blinked and looked around to realize he had that bad dream again. He looked down at Nyasu, whose expression was melting from that of concern, to annoyance. "Nyah, you were just having a nightmare again." He looked over to Musashi's sleeping bag. "Hey wait, she really is gone!"

"What?!" Kojiro cried, leaping out of his sleeping bag, sending Nyasu flying again. He landed on all fours and shot daggers at Kojiro with his eyes. Kojiro didn't notice. He was frantically searching the campsite for Musashi, calling her name. Looking around, Nyasu grew concerned himself, wondering where Musashi had gone. He joined in Kojiro's search, looking for Musashi and calling her name.

Musashi yawned, stretching her arms up with a small bag in one of her hands. It was a beautiful morning and she figured it would be nice to surprise her boys with some nice pastries from one of the nearby bakeries in the town. As she walked back towards the campsite, she caught the frantic motion of two persons near the camp. She paused in concern, wondering if it were someone else when she recognized the two persons were just her teammates. _What's wrong with them?_ She wondered as she walked closer.

All of a sudden, both her friends caught sight of her. "Musashi!" they both cried and began running towards her. Musashi's eyes widening in surprise as her two friends leapt at her, crying her name. Musashi's bag of pastries flew out of her grasp as she was tackled to the floor in a heap of embraces. Her friends blubbered around her while she struggled to get free.

"Oy! OY!" she cried out in anger to get them to stop fussing over her. She stood up, hands on her hips and glared at them. "What is the matter with you two?!"

Nyasu and Kojiro looked at each other, then at Musashi sheepishly. She tapped her foot in annoyance, waiting for their response.

"Kojiro woke up from a dream, saying you were gone. Then it turned out you _were_ gone and we couldn't find you," Nyasu confessed, throwing Kojiro under the bus. Musashi rounded on Kojiro as he looked angrily from Nyasu and then guiltily up to Musashi's gaze. "Well you _were_ gone," Kojiro mumbled, not wanting to admit he had another nightmare about her. He looked away and asked, "Where did you go?"

"Oh," Musashi replied, remembering her bag of goodies. "I wanted to surprise you with breakfast." She walked over to the fallen bag and picked it up. Kojiro and Nyasu picked themselves off the floor as well. "Here," she said curtly, handing them the bag. Both Nyasu and Kojiro's eyes were glistening with emotion. "Musashi!" they cried in gratitude and embraced her once more.

"Ugh! Not again!" she cried out.


	3. Chapter 3

Musashi was putting some things together in a bag. Kojiro watched her nervously before realizing it was just a towel and some bottles she had that she usually kept her shampoos and other toiletries in.

"What are you doing?" he asked her.

"There's this nice pond I saw on the way to and from the town." she replied. "The perfect place to clean up and relax." As she put her items together, she noticed Kojiro watching her and asked him, "Do you want to come too?"

"Um, sure," he replied. He began gathering his bathing items. "Nyasu?" he asked, whom was busy polishing his head jewel.

"Yeah," he agreed. "A spa day sounds nice!"

Together, they made their way to the pond that Musashi had stumbled upon during her trip. Kojiro was nervously fidgeting with his clothes as they approached.

"What's wrong, Kojiro?" asked Musashi, suspiciously.

"N-nothing" he mumbled.

"The water will do you some good," Nyasu encouraged, as he leapt into the water. "Nyagh!" he cried, surfacing out of the water quickly.

"Nyasu!" both Kojiro and Musashi shouted, running to the water's edge. "Are you-"

"I'm fine," Nyasu assured them, catching his breath. "This is not a pond,""

"What?" Musashi asked, confused. "Then what-"

"It's a hot spring," Nyasu answered her. "I wasn't expecting the hot water when I jumped in."

"Eee!" Musashi squealed in excitement. "Even better!" She sat her belongings down and began to remove her uniform.

Kojiro blushed in a panic. "Musashi!" he protested, covering his eyes with his hands.

"Relax Kojiro," she replied calmly. She showed her bathing garments underneath her uniform. "I have a bathing suit."

Kojiro breathed a sigh of relief. He removed his hands from his eyes but continued to watch Musashi in a trance as time appeared to slow down while she removed her outer clothes to reveal her perfect ivory skin. Musashi noticed Kojiro's eyes on her and blushed. Looking down at her folded clothes, she cleared her throat to get his attention, along with breaking his admiring stare. "Oy," she said to him, once his eyes were back on her. She smiled playfully and approached him. "Don't be a pervert and just watch me do all the undressing." She gripped at his jacket. "You can start taking your clothes off too."

"Musashi!" he cried out defiantly, holding tightly to his clothes. "Wait!"

"What for?" she responded, continuing to wrestle with him to get his jacket and shirt off. They went at it for a few moments while Nyasu watched them and smartly backed off into a corner for safety.

Finally, Musashi managed to peel both Kojiro's jacket and shirt off at the same time. She held his clothing up in a show of Victory while Kojiro attempted to cover the front of his chest and stomach. "Why are you being so modest?" asked Musashi, still annoyed. "you're a man for goodne-" she stopped when she noticed some marks on Kojiro's body. He was looking down in embarrassment. "Kojiro…" Musashi murmured sadly as her tone and demeanor changed from anger to concern. She walked over to him. He began to walk backwards but she gripped one of his shoulders to spin him around. Kojiro's entire back had the same bruises.

An image came to Musashi in realization. She remembered the Pokemon Hunter's Dosidon and when Kojiro stumbled into Dr. White's home to ask the brat kids for their help. "Was this from...that Dosidon?"

Kojiro, head hung with his back still to her, nodded. Suddenly, he felt Musashi's arms wrap around him from behind. He stiffened at her touch, expecting the bruises to ache in protest. But instead, Kojiro was wrapped in an immense warmth. Musashi rarely hugged him like this. _This feeling..._ he thought while smiling. _Is this..._ Kojiro remembered his dream and what he had last said to Musashi as his face began to get hot. "I'm OK Musashi."

He turned around to face her and saw that she was deep in thought, eying the ground. She looked at him with determination. "Wait here." Musashi ordered before turning her heel and running back towards their campsite.

 _It's not like I'm going anywhere_ he thought. _Wait, is she running back with just her bathing suit on?!_ Kojiro was about to call out to her to come back and put some clothes on when Nyasu called out to him.

"Kojiro!" Nyasu called. "Get in the water. You'll feel better." Kojiro nodded at him and slowly began to enter the hot spring. His shoulders slumped in relaxation as he breathed out in relief. "Ooh this is nice," he admitted. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the warm water soothing his sore body. He shimmied his body further down so that the water enveloped him all the way to his chin.

The sound of clinking and a thud caused Kojiro to open his eyes. "Musashi?" he called out.

"It's me," Musashi answered, slightly out of breath. She began to fumble around the large black bag she had brought with her.

"You really shouldn't be running around with just your bathing suit on," Kojiro scolded, making a pout with his lips.

Musashi continued to fumble around until she found the bottle that she was looking for. She pulled it out in triumph before looking at Kojiro irritably. "Huh? Who's going to see me?" she retorted. She scooted over to him, whose back was still facing her. "Sit up a bit, will you?"

Kojiro did as he was told and soon felt a stinging sensation on his back as Musashi sprayed the contents of the bottle over his wounds. "Ouch!" he cried out. "Musashi! That hurt! What did you just do?" He turned around to face her, only to have his front area sprayed with the bottle she held in her hand. The area began to sting as well. Kojiro cried out again before asking her what she used on him.

"It's a healing spray for bruises," she answered. "Quit crying like a baby. Do you feel better?" Kojiro turned around in defiance before sinking back into the water again. He hated to admit it, but he began to feel much better than before. _Where did she get that bottle anyway?_ He wondered. He suddenly realized where-no _whom_ she got it from.

"Where," Kojiro asked. "Did you get those bottles?"

"From Dr. White," she replied matter-of-factly, not realizing Kojiro probably had no idea who that was "Hang on," she said while digging through the bag again. "I think I have a spray for scratches around in here, somewhere…"

Kojiro closed his eyes in annoyance. He'd had it with Dr. White. _I thought I wasn't going to hear his name anymore_ he growled to himself.

"Found it!" Musashi cried, yanking the bottle from the bag. She wandered over to Kojiro again. "Sit up," she ordered.

"No," replied Kojiro. "I don't want it"

"Eh?" Musashi said. "Why not? This will only take a-"

"I said NO!" Kojiro screamed, his back still facing Musashi. She blinked a few times, taking in the shock of Kojiro raising his voice to her. She scowled at him and shoved the bottle back in. "Fine!" she spat and stomped off to an area of the hot spring furthest from Kojiro. Musashi entered the water and immediately turned her back to him. The both of them went about their washing and cleaning while Nyasu watched them nervously.

Neither party said a word to each other as Nyasu flickered his eyes from Kojiro to Musashi. Musashi would accidentally make eye contact with Kojiro, scowl, and turn away immediately. Kojiro would do the same. However, after a few moments, his glares merged into glances of guilt as he pondered what to say to make the situation better.

 _I want to say 'Sorry' to her_ he thought. _But I'm just so upset that she still had something of Dr. White's in her possession. She never even made an effort to explain herself to me or Nyasu. For all she knows, she thinks that neither one of us know of Dr. White and what she almost did._

His thoughts were broken when he heard the water slosh. Musashi had risen up out of the hot spring, a towel already wrapped around her. Her hair, soaked from the spring, cascaded down her shoulders down to her hip.

 _Wow_ , mused Kojiro. Even when Musashi was angry, Kojiro couldn't help but feel mystified by her beauty. Musashi, however, wouldn't even cast a glance at Kojiro. She picked up her bathing supplies, the black medicine bag, and walked off towards the camp.

When she was out of earshot, Nyasu glanced over at Kojiro. "You need to talk to her already."

"Well," Kojiro said defensively. "I was waiting for her to bring up anything first."

"You know how private she is," retorted Nyasu. "She doesn't think we know anything that happened between her and that Doctor. Plus, she's confused on your reaction just now. She probably thinks you're just ungrateful."

"Probably," sighed Kojiro. He watched as Nyasu left the hot spring and shook himself free of the water. "I'll see you at camp?"

"Yeah," agreed Nyasu before he bounded off in the direction of the campsite.


	4. Chapter 4

As Nyasu entered the campsite, Musashi had already changed into her civilian clothes consisting of a pair of jeans and a baby blue V-Neck shirt. Upon hearing the leaves rustling underneath Nyasu's feet, she turned her attention to him.

"Going somewhere?" Nyasu asked her.

"Just in case I felt like heading into the town again today." she answered. "Where's Kojiro?" she asked, feigning indifference. Nyasu smiled, knowing very well of the front that she was putting on.

"He's on his way soon." Nyasu replied. "I think he just needed some alone time."

"Oh," thought Musashi aloud. She turned to look towards the hot spring area. "I see." Then, turning to Nyasu, she said, "I'm going to look over the air balloon and make sure there is no damage or anything needing fixing." She walked off towards the direction of the air balloon.

Nyasu watched her with a bewildered expression. She _never_ looked over anything technical. Normally that was Nyasu's job, or Kojiro's. _Kojiro's outburst must really be bothering her_ , thought Nyasu. _That, or maybe deep down she is still grieving over that Doctor White character._

Kojiro entered the campsite sometime later. He had already changed into his civilian clothes as well and had a bag in his handl. Nyasu eyed the bag and could already smell that it was something delicious. He bounded over to him.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "What did you bring?"

Kojiro extended the bag to Nyasu. "A peace offering," he said. "And something for you, of course," Kojiro added, reaching into the bag and pulling out a bag of Koiking crackers. Nyasu took them gratefully and held them in a tight embrace. Kojiro began to look around. Nyasu already knew before Kojiro had to say anything.

"She's looking over the air balloon for damage." Nyasu said. He noticed the weird expression Kojiro made. "I know." Nyasu added. "Odd. Best to give her some space, still."

"I guess so," Kojiro agreed, slumping his shoulders. _This is not how I expected things to go_ , Kojiro thought to himself. He placed the bag down and stretched upwards, yawning. "I think I'll take a quick nap to fully re-energize," he said. "Didn't get much sleep last night." He went over to his sleeping bag and crawled in, slightly wincing at some of the soreness he still felt. But it was nothing compared to what he felt before the hot springs and the medication that Musashi sprayed on him.

~~~~~~~Musashi had come running back to Kojiro and Nyasu.

"Musashi!" cried Kojiro, rubbing the tears from his eyes. "You came back!"

"Sorry," Musashi huffed as she gripped her knees to regain her breath. "I forgot the bags with my Pokeballs."

Kojiro's face fell immediately. Musashi noticed and tsked at him. "Kojiro, you didn't think that I was coming to tell you that I've changed my mind…"

Kojiro reached out and gripped her hands. "Musashi, listen," he gulped and gathered the courage he needed to tell her what he was about to say. "You don't need to go with the doctor. Stay. Here." he pulled her hands closer to him. "With me."

Musashi looked at Kojiro with a puzzled expression. "With you? Why would I...Kojiro do you l-love me?"

Kojiro's eyes met hers. He nodded. Suddenly, Musashi burst out laughing. "Kojiro, you can't be serious! I never thought you would have felt that way about me!"

Kojiro's eyes widened in shock as he flushed in humiliation. Musashi stopped laughing when she noticed that Kojiro was not, in fact, joking.

"I'm so sorry, Kojiro," she apologized. "I just don't feel that way about you."

She began to fade from sight as she ran to gather her Pokeballs and turn around to find Dr. White once more.

"Musashi!" Kojiro called.~~~~~~~

"MUSASHI!"

"Kojiro!"

Kojiro opened his eyes, blinking away the blurriness. His breathing ragged, he wiped one arm across his brow to clear up some of the sweat that had built up during his nightmare. His eyes came to focus on Musashi. She was sitting on her knees, one hand on Kojiro's shoulder, a look of deep concern on her face.

"You were shouting my name again," she began. "I think you were having another nightmare."

Kojiro sat up, his breathing slowly returning to normal. "Sorry to worry you," he told her. "I'm OK now." He looked around to see Nyasu watching him, tool. "How long was I asleep?"

Nyasu shrugged his shoulders. "About an hour, the most."

Kojiro stretched out and then stood up. He noticed a slight chill in the air. He glanced over at Musashi, who was still looking at him with concern. He immediately felt a pang of guilt for having shouted at her earlier. "Looks like it's going to be a cold night," he said. "Better collect some firewood for tonight. Musashi, will you come with me? I need to talk to you."

Before Musashi could say anything, Nyasu interrupted. "I-uh, think I'm going to head into the town, take a look around" and without waiting for their approval, he bounded off towards the town.

Kojiro looked at Musashi again for her answer. She nodded and walked after him. They headed towards some of the trees to look for fallen branches. For a few moments, there was silence among them until Kojiro spoke.

"I'm sorry," he said to Musashi, as she was picking up a few sticks on the ground. She looked at him with surprise.

"I didn't mean to shout at you earlier," Kojiro continued. "It must have bothered you."

"Bothered me?" Musashi asked, her voice hitting a higher note than usual. "I forgot all about it."

Kojiro smiled slightly. He knew she was lying to avoid making the apology any more difficult. "Thanks Musashi."

She smiled back at him. Then, bit her lip anticipating her question she was about to ask him.

"Hey Kojiro," she began. "You've been mentioning my name in your nightmares recently. Can you...tell me what they are about?"

Kojiro blushed slightly, not wanting to explain the full details of his dreams to her. Instead, he motioned for her to follow him as he walked over to a nearby fallen tree, and sat on its trunk. "I want to tell you," he admitted. "But I need to ask you something first."

She sat down next to him, curious to find out more about his dream. "What?" she asked.

Kojiro hesitated, trying to say what he was about to say as less awkward as possible. "Will you tell me," he said slowly. "About Dr. White?"

Musashi froze. This is the first time he's mentioned the Doctor to her. "The...one I told you who gave the medicines?"

Kojiro nodded, prompting Musashi to go on with her explanation. She turned away from Kojiro nervously, taking a sudden interest in her hands. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything," Kojiro said. "How did you meet him in the first place? And why did you want to leave the Rocket gang for him?"

Musashi blushed deeper. She had no idea that Kojiro knew anything about her decision with Dr. White. "How did you-"

"I was there," Kojiro explained. "I was in the bushes just outside of Dr. White's house when the brat kids found you. Nyasu and I had gone to go get you when we overheard you talking to those kids."

"I-I didn't know," Musashi quietly whispered. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I wanted you to be happy," Kojiro admitted. "Nyasu and I were willing to leave quietly. But you came back. Why?"

"Because I realized what was more important to me," Musashi answered. "I thought that I was going to live happily with Dr. White. A life away from evil sounded nice. But then I realized the great friends that I was leaving behind. Also, living the life of evil is all I know."

Kojiro eyed her, his expression unreadable. "What made him so special?" Kojiro asked, his voice almost cracking from the pain he was feeling in his heart just to say those words aloud.

"He saved me," she answered. "After we got blasted by that Pikachu, I wound up separated from you and Nyasu. Sonansu and I wound up falling into the river and almost drowned. But Dr. White was the one who saved me." she smiled in remembrance.

Kojiro's fists clenched angrily. He didn't know Dr. White had saved Musashi. _I guess I should be grateful_ Kojiro thought to himself, trying to reason his way out of his mood. Suddenly, he felt Musashi's head roll on his shoulder. Her eyes were closed as she nuzzled him, a rare form of affection from Musashi.

"But you and Nyasu are very important to me, Kojiro," she murmured sadly. "I couldn't go through with leaving you, especially when you needed me."

He cleared his throat and moved away from Musashi. "Oy, what's with you and your show of affection lately?" he asked her, annoyed. "You're never like this."

Musashi's face fell. "I'm sorry," she admitted. "I know it's not like me, but I just feel bad for almost abandoning you and Nyasu."

"Well don't," Kojiro stated sternly, standing up. "I don't want your pity. Don't let me and Nyasu hold you back." He began to walk away. Musashi, stood up, alarmed at Kojiro's change in demeanor.

"Kojiro, wait," she cried, running to him. She grabbed at one of his hands. Kojiro stilled and slowly turned around to look at her. Her blue eyes pleading with him to stay with her.

"It's OK, Musashi." he admitted softly. "If you want to go back to Dr. White, I won't be angry."

"That's not what I want!" Musashi cried. "I just told you that!"

"What you told me," Kojiro answered back, raising his voice. "Is that you couldn't leave Nyasu and I behind. I don't want us to be the ones who influence your decision to leave. So, if you want to go, _go_."

Musashi hiccupped, holding back her tears. She narrowed her eyes angrily at Kojiro. "Fine!" she cried as she ran back to camp.


	5. Chapter 5

Musashi wandered towards the town. She wanted to find Nyasu to see if she could hear his side of the story, since Kojiro said that they were both together the whole time she was with Dr. White. She chastised herself as she fought the tears that streamed down her cheeks. _Damn him!_ She thought as she walked aimlessly down the dirt road towards the lights of the nearby town in the distance. _Why am I getting so worked up about what he said? So what if he thinks that I should go back to Dr. White? I can't anyway...not that I want to..._ She nearly walked into a sign. She paused to read it. WELCOME TO GARDENIA TOWN.

 _Gardenia town huh?_ Musashi thought as she began to walk through the streets, looking for a nearby store. _Might as well get some more supplies if I'm going to be taking off. Ohh! What am I saying? I can't leave Kojiro. His nightmares of me might just get worse. Speaking of which, he never told me what they were about…_

Musashi suddenly stopped in her tracks. She just realized Kojiro's nightmares didn't start until after they left the area that Dr. White was at! She just remembered that Kojiro had known about her decision to want to stay with White all along. Kojiro had seen her with White and overhead her decision to leave the Rocket gang for him! _And didn't Nyasu tell me this morning that Kojiro had startled both of them because he mentioned that I was gone?_ _He must be having nightmares of me leaving them!_ She swayed in place, feeling dizzy and overwhelmed.

 _So that's why he's screaming out my name! He's calling out to me to come back! It's my fault..._ Musashi thought sadly. She looked around and noticed that she had walked into a store. She heard voices coming from one of the back rooms. She began to talk towards the back and noticed that the door to one of the rooms was open. Musashi peered around the corner. "Hello?" she called out

There were women of different ages sitting in a circle at a table. They were weaving string in a web-like pattern around hoops. Feathers and beads adorned the hoops in pretty patterns. One of the women took notice of Musashi and called out to her.

"Sorry Miss," she said. "The store is closed for the day. Unless you're here for the craft class."

"Craft?" she asked, walking in curiously. "What are you making?" she asked, intrigued by the beauty of the different colored beads and feathers.

"Have a seat," waved the woman who had spoken to her. "Join us! I can tell that you are fascinated by our Dreamcatchers."

Musashi walked over and sat next to the woman. "Dreamcatchers?"

"Yes," the woman replied, pushing some of the craft items over to Musashi. "They come from Native American culture. It is said that if you hang one of these above where you sleep, it catches any bad dreams from entering the mind."

"Really?!" cried Musashi, clapping her hands together. "I can use one of those. Can I have one?"

"You," the woman said, passing Musashi a hoop and some string. "Can _make_ one."

Musashi's face fell in disappointment. "But," she admitted. "I don't know how to make one."

"That's why we hold these craft sessions," the woman explained. "To teach how to make different things. I'll show you."

Musashi watched and mimicked as the woman and the others around her made their Dreamcatchers. She became frustrated at times, but someone made sure to re-direct her when she was having trouble. Musashi smiled warmly as she picked out emerald colored beads for her design, _Like Kojiro_ she thought. _I hope this helps him_.

Once the class was over, Musashi held up her beautiful new Dreamcatcher with emerald green beads and lavender feathers. She giggled as it swayed in the wind, reminding her of someone very special. She thanked the others before she made her way back to camp. The sky was already getting darker as the sun was getting ready to set in the next half hour. _How long was I gone?_ She wondered as she stepped foot into the campsite.

"Kojiro!" she called. "I have something for you-"

She looked and saw Nyasu and Kojiro were sound asleep in their bags. "Already?" she cried out in disappointment. She stormed over to her bag to stuff the Dreamcatcher in. _Guess I'll have to surprise him later_ she thought, annoyed.

She noticed the roaring fire in the center of their campsite and smiled affectionately at Kojiro, who was sound asleep, but looked worn out. She shivered at the blast of cold evening air that hit her and began making her way towards the fire.

Kojiro, on the other hand, began to toss and turn in his sleep, his face grimacing at the unpleasant dream he was having. He began to break out in sweat once more as he began to murmur incoherently.

"Mu-Musashi!" he cried out.

Musashi immediately stood up and ran to him. "Not another nightmare!" she cried as she placed her hands on his shoulders to shake him awake.

"MUSASHI!" Kojiro cried out, not waking up even as Musashi shook him.

"Kojiro!" she cried. "I'm here! Wake up!"

"Musashi!" he shouted once more, less intensely as he was starting to come to.

Musashi took his face in her hands gently.

"It's fine, Kojiro," she said softly. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Kojiro took a moment to register that he was having another nightmare and the real Musashi was before him. He had just awoken from the most intense nightmare, yet. Once he realized Musashi was still with him, tears began to stream down his cheeks as he began to sob.

Musashi was taken aback. She released his face and began to back up. "What have I done to you?" she whispered in anguish as the full force of guilt hit her for what she had put him through the past 2 days. "What have I done?" She realized she was unable to control her own tears as they began to flow from her eyes. In a panic, she fled towards the air balloon just over the hill nearest them. She didn't want to let Kojiro see her in this state, let alone face him after what she realized what she had done. _I'm such a monster_ she thought as she ran towards the air balloon.


	6. Chapter 6

Musashi stopped running once she reached the location of the air balloon, which was out of eyesight from the camp. She looked towards the horizon, as the sun had begun to set beautifully behind the treeline. A small breeze brushed past her, and she wrapped her arms tightly around herself to maintain warmth. She began to sob quietly, overwhelmed by her feelings of guilt. She allowed the tears to freely fall while she contemplated her next move and how to face Kojiro after all of this.

She felt someone's arms wrap around her shoulders from behind, pulling her close.

"It's OK, Musashi," Kojiro's voice whispered into her ear as he held her close to him. He felt Musashi's tense shoulders relax, once she realized it was him. He continued to hold her until her crying had subsided. They both said nothing as the sun continued to set in front of them. Once Kojiro was sure that Musashi had calmed down, he spoke to her softly.

"If you want to go back to Dr. White, it's OK. I know you love him and I just want you to be happy. We can take you back to him-"

"IDIOT!" Musashi cried, as she whirled around to face him, breaking his hold on her. She shoved him with enough force to send him stumbling backwards. "I already told you, I don't want Dr. White! Why don't you listen to me?"

"But I thought…" Kojiro wondered aloud before being interrupted by Musashi again.

"I know about the nightmares you've been having lately!" she cried. "And I'm sorry I'm the cause of them. But you have to understand that I've made my decision to leave White and stay with the Rocket gang!"

Musashi searched Kojiro's eyes, which still looked pained. She knew that explanation wasn't going to be enough. "I need you to forgive me, for bringing such pain to you. I know you care about me...and I want you to know that...I care about you too!" Musashi cried out, beginning to flush around her cheeks. "I didn't leave Dr. White because I _pitied_ both you and Nyasu. I _wanted_ to be with you because I _chose_ you," she realized what she just said and flushed deeper. "A-and Nyasu," she added quickly.

Kojiro approached her and suddenly pulled her into an embrace. His hold was only making Musashi feel more emotional as the tears began to form in her eyes again. As Kojiro nuzzled his face against hers, he said softly, "Do you want to know why those nightmares were so painful to me?" he asked her. He felt her nod her head. "Because," he continued. "I told the Musashi in my dreams that I love her."

Musashi gently pulled away to look at Kojiro in surprise. "You told me-in the dream that you...love me?" she asked

"Yeah," Kojiro admitted. "But she still left me. That's why...I'm afraid to tell the _real_ Musashi the same thing."

Musashi took a moment to register what Kojiro just said. Then, she smiled and threw her arms around Kojiro to hug him once more, only tighter. "I won't leave you again." she murmured as she gave him an assuring squeeze. "What can I do to show you I'm sorry?"

"Kiss me back," Kojiro said softly.

"What?" Musashi asked, confused. "How could I-"

Musashi was interrupted by Kojiro's fingers gently gripping her chin to tilt her face to him as he pressed his lips to hers. Initially startled, she remembered what Kojiro had just said to her and responded to his kiss with enthusiasm, using her hands to pull Kojiro's face to hers.

It was a quick kiss, but enough to have a lasting effect on the both of them. Both appeared to be stunned afterwards. Musashi tucked a lock of hair behind her ear shyly. "Oy," she said playfully. "Now who's being oddly affectionate?"

Kojiro beamed at her, feeling proud of himself again. "When you're affectionate, it's odd. But me, it's more acceptable. For example... " he wrapped his arms around Musashi and leaned in to kiss her again.

Musashi stopped him with her hand, and he paused, looking affronted. "Wait," Musashi said teasingly. "I have something for you." She took his hand to lead him back to the campsite.

"You do?" he asked excitedly as he followed after her, hand in hand. "What is it?"

"I have to show you," she said, rolling her eyes. She looked back at him proudly adding, "And I _made_ it!"

"Wow!" Kojiro exclaimed, feeling special that she made something for him. "Now I really want to know what it is."

They arrived back at the camp and stopped once they got near Musashi's sleeping bag and belongings. She left Kojiro standing nearby and bounded over to her bag to find the Dreamcatcher that she made. She found it, pulled it out and stood up, thrusting it towards Kojiro. "Ta-daa!" she announced.

Kojiro took it, giving it a curious look. He took note of the emerald green beads and lavender feathers and chuckled. "Did you try to make a lookalike of me?" he asked her.

"No," she huffed impatiently at him as Kojiro dangled it in front of himself in amusement.

"It's a Dreamcatcher!" she explained. "I found some ladies making them when i was in town. They told me it's from Native American culture. It's supposed to trap bad dreams when you sleep. So, you won't have nightmares anymore!"

Kojiro stood for a moment quietly looking at her. Musashi looked nervously from the Dreamcatcher to him, unable to read the way he was looking at her. "You don't like it?" she asked.

Kojiro put the Dreamcatcher in his pocket and advanced towards Musashi. She eyed the Dreamcatcher in Kojiro's pocket. She pouted, "It's supposed to work when you hang it over your head, not in your-"

Kojiro's lips crashed onto Musashi's once more as he laced his fingers into hers and held her firmly against the tree behind her. Both continued to kiss each other's lips passionately for a few moments until Kojiro felt Musashi struggle against him. He pulled away, panting for air as he looked into her eyes questionably.

"I need my hands," she said playfully.

"Oh," Kojiro realized and released Musashi's hands. "Sorry."

Musashi immediately cupped his face with her hands and planted a soft kiss on his lips. "I'm not," she said, blushing. She pulled away, looking at Kojiro with a pout. "But what about your Dreamcatcher?" she asked.

"Musashi, I love the Dreamcatcher," he gushed. "But I don't need it anymore!"

Musashi looked at him in surprise and was about to say something when Kojiro held his finger to her lips, making her grunt in annoyance.

"Now that I have you, I don't think I'll be having any more bad dreams." Kojiro admitted. Musashi crossed her arms playfully and turned away from him.

"Huh?" she replied. "What makes you think that you have me?"

Kojiro took one of her hands gently to pull her towards him, a mischievous look flashed in his eyes. He was about to lean in to kiss her when Nyasu cried out.

"Nyah! How's one supposed to get any sleep around here?!"

Musashi and Kojiro cringed and broke apart, feeling sheepish. "We better get some sleep," Musashi admitted. She gave Kojiro's hand an affectionate squeeze before walking over to her sleeping bag. She had just finished crawling in when she heard Kojiro rustling next to her. She looked over to him. "What are you doing?" she asked. Kojiro eyed Nyasu before looking back at her.

"I need my Dreamcatcher, remember?" he said with pleading eyes. "You don't want me to have nightmares again, do you?"

"I guess not," Musashi said, yawning. She made a motion with her arm for him to place his sleeping bag next to her. "Come on then."

Kojiro placed his bag next to her and curled up alongside her, his eyes remained on Musashi as he began to drift off to sleep. "Good night Musashi," he whispered as he wrapped one arm around her for comfort

"Good night, Kojiro," she replied. Then, with a hint of sarcasm she said to him, "Sweet dreams."

And that's exactly what Kojiro had. The nightmares didn't come back that night, and never returned again.


End file.
